Nucleoside analogs are a class of compounds that have been shown to exert antiviral and anticancer activity both in vitro and in vivo, and thus, have been the subject of widespread research for the treatment of viral infections and cancer. Nucleoside analogs are usually therapeutically inactive compounds that are converted by host or viral enzymes to their respective active anti-metabolites, which, in turn, may inhibit polymerases involved in viral or cell proliferation. The activation occurs by a variety of mechanisms, such as the addition of one or more phosphate groups and, or in combination with, other metabolic processes.